Three covered artificial-clay tennis courts and two padel courts will be built beside the new Galashiels Academy campus, creating the first year-round covered tennis provision in the Scottish Borders.
Work is due to begin on a new tennis and padel centre at Galashiels Academy after the project secured just over £1.5 million from Scotland’s largest tennis infrastructure programme.
The community facility will contain three covered artificial-clay tennis courts and two canopy-covered padel courts. It is expected to open in early 2027 and will be operated by Live Borders on behalf of the wider community as well as supporting pupils at the school.
The courts will have LED floodlighting and a smart-access system, allowing bookings to be managed without requiring the facility to be staffed continuously. Changing rooms were included within the recently completed Galashiels Academy campus and will also serve the new centre.
Scottish Borders Council says the development will create the region’s first covered tennis courts, removing some of the weather restrictions faced by the area’s 12 registered tennis clubs and more than 1,500 playing members.
The courts will be covered by canopies rather than housed within a conventional enclosed sports building. The announcement does not say whether the sides will be enclosed or how much protection players will have from wind and winter temperatures, but the roof should allow play to continue during rain and reduce the number of sessions lost to poor weather.
Fourth centre under £15m Scottish programme
The funding comes from the Transforming Scottish Indoor Tennis programme, known as TSIT, which is jointly run by the LTA, the LTA Tennis Foundation, sportscotland and Tennis Scotland.
The partners have committed £15 million over ten years to address geographical gaps in Scotland’s year-round tennis provision. The programme is described by the organisations as the largest capital investment made in Scottish tennis.
Galashiels will become its fourth completed venue.
A six-court centre at Oriam, on the Heriot-Watt University campus in Edinburgh, opened to the public in December 2023 and was formally launched in February 2024. The facility cost £4.5 million.
A four-court centre at Moray Sports Centre in Elgin and a three-court facility at the King George V complex in Dumfries followed. The Dumfries centre opened in March 2026 at a final reported cost of £2.36 million, including almost £1.7 million from the TSIT programme, nearly £500,000 from Dumfries and Galloway Council and £200,000 from the Holywood Trust.
Those three developments have produced 13 indoor tennis courts since the end of 2023. The Galashiels project will increase the total delivered through the programme to 16 tennis courts across four locations, alongside the two new padel courts.
The comparison also shows that the £1.5 million announced for Galashiels is the programme’s contribution rather than necessarily the full construction cost.
Scottish Borders Council and the tennis bodies have not published the total project value, the council’s own financial contribution, whether any of the award is repayable or the contractor appointed to carry out the work.
Artificial clay selected for player development
The Galashiels courts will use an artificial-clay surface rather than the acrylic or carpet surfaces more commonly found at British indoor facilities.
LTA chief executive Scott Lloyd said clay encouraged players to improve their movement, patience and tactical awareness and that wider access to the surface could support player development.
The surface is likely to be useful to the Border Tennis Academy and established local clubs as well as recreational players. Galashiels Tennis Club currently operates from the Borders Tennis Centre at Livingstone Place, in partnership with Live Borders, and the venue is also home to the Border Tennis Academy.
The new centre is therefore not the beginning of organised tennis in Galashiels. Its value lies in giving existing players, coaches and clubs a reliable year-round base while creating additional capacity for schools, beginners and community programmes.
Scottish Borders Council leader Euan Jardine said the investment would provide opportunities for people of different ages and abilities to play throughout the year.
“By adding the region’s first covered tennis courts alongside new padel facilities at Galashiels Academy, we’re creating opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to be active, develop new skills and enjoy sport all year round,” he said.
Padel included as sport expands
The two padel courts form a substantial part of the development rather than an addition announced separately.
Padel is played in doubles on an enclosed court smaller than a tennis court, with the surrounding walls forming part of play. Tennis Scotland, which governs the sport in Scotland alongside tennis, has been expanding its padel operation and recruited a head of padel and specialist partner during 2026 to develop participation, competitions and facilities.
The Galashiels announcement does not provide existing participation figures for padel in the Borders or identify the nearest alternative courts. Demand will become clearer once Live Borders publishes booking levels and the programme of coaching and introductory sessions.
Court charges have not yet been announced. Neither have public opening hours, membership arrangements, school-use periods or any reduced-price access for young people and households on lower incomes.
Those decisions will determine whether the project broadens participation or primarily provides a better facility for people already involved in racket sports.
Part of unfinished campus development
The tennis centre will form part of the second phase of the Galashiels Academy community campus.
The new school opened to pupils on 6 January 2026, replacing the former academy building. It includes a 25-metre, six-lane swimming pool, a hydrotherapy pool, a gym and indoor sports courts. Further work includes the demolition of the old school, redevelopment of Scott Park and the construction of 2G and 3G pitches.
The campus was already intended to contain tennis courts. When construction of the school was approved in 2023, the council said it had applied to Tennis Scotland for funding to add an all-weather covering to the replacement courts. The new award therefore completes an element that had remained dependent upon external investment.
The council’s January opening announcement described the academy as a £64 million facility. Its separate project page continues to list a budget of £60.8 million, suggesting that the higher figure may represent a later project value or updated outturn, although the difference is not explained on those pages.
The new campus is also taking on community functions previously associated with other facilities. Scottish Borders Council’s review of sport and leisure provision says Queens Leisure Centre is expected to close during 2026 once its activities have moved to the academy.
That places additional weight on the ability of the school campus to operate as a genuinely accessible community venue outside teaching hours.
Opening planned for early 2027
Construction is expected to begin immediately, with the tennis and padel centre scheduled to open in early 2027.
Before then, Live Borders and the council will need to publish the booking system, opening hours, prices, coaching programme and division of time between school and public use.
The capital investment provides the courts and covering. Their longer-term effect will depend upon affordable access, sufficient coaching capacity and whether residents from across the Borders can reach the Galashiels site.
For a region where organised tennis already involves more than 1,500 members but year-round covered provision has been absent, the project closes a clear infrastructure gap. The first evidence of its wider reach will come after the doors open and public participation can be measured.
Sources
Scottish Borders Council — New three-court tennis centre to open at Galashiels Academy
https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/news
LTA and Tennis Scotland — New tennis and padel centre to open in Scottish Borders under Transforming Scottish Indoor Tennis project
https://www.lta.org.uk/about-us/in-your-area/tennis-scotland/news/new-tennis-centre-to-open-in-scottish-borders-under-transforming-scottish-indoor-tennis-project/
Scottish Borders Council — Start of a new era as brand-new Galashiels Academy campus opens its doors
https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/news/article/4896/start-of-a-new-era-as-brand-new-galashiels-academy-campus-opens-its-doors
Scottish Borders Council — Galashiels Community Campus
https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/schools-learning/galashiels-community-campus
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https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/news/article/4480/replacement-for-galashiels-academy-to-proceed-to-construction-phase
Scottish Borders Council — Joint review of sport, leisure and cultural services: Eildon facilities
https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/sport-leisure-outdoors/joint-review-sport-leisure-cultural-services/6
LTA and Tennis Scotland — New indoor tennis centre opens in Dumfries and Galloway
https://www.lta.org.uk/about-us/in-your-area/tennis-scotland/news/2026/march/new-indoor-tennis-centre-opens-in-dumfries–galloway/
LTA — Scottish tennis gets major boost with opening of new indoor centre
https://www.lta.org.uk/news/scottish-tennis-gets-major-boost-with-opening-of-new-indoor-centre/
LTA — Transforming Scottish Indoor Tennis Fund
https://www.lta.org.uk/news/2025/december/lta-and-lta-tennis-foundation-investment-delivers-social-impact-across-tennis-and-padel-communities/
Borders Tennis Centre — Venue information
https://clubspark.lta.org.uk/BordersTennisCentre
Tennis Scotland — Head of Padel and Padel Partner recruitment
https://www.lta.org.uk/about-us/in-your-area/tennis-scotland/news/2026/may/join-the-team-tennis-scotland-are-looking-for-a-head-of-padel–padel-partner/
